Rob Andrew: Rugby would get a huge boost from Olympic stamp of approval

The Olympic seal of approval would not just give sevens a boost, it would give
the whole sport of rugby a lift.

Sevens heaven: Rob Andrew says that were rugby to get the Olympic stamp of approval, it would help attract a whole new market to the sportPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

By Rob Andrew, RFU Elite Rugby Director

7:31PM BST 08 Oct 2009

Its profile would be enhanced, it would reach out into new markets and all sorts of people who might not have been interested in the 15-a-side game will be drawn into the fold. From there, anything can happen.

You look at how Kenya have come on in recent years. They do not feature at all in terms of the fuller version of the game, yet they have a full-time sevens squad and genuine medal prospects. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga will all benefit. But where next? China, perhaps, Russia? Might not rugby in the US see a huge surge of interest once it gets Olympic backing and funding?

Every country has a different way of approaching sevens. Several of them, such as Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa and Argentina, have full-time squads dedicated solely to the circuit. We have a mix.

England used to draw their squad from the Premiership clubs but that has changed since the new deal last year. We’ve got a blend of specialists such as Ben Gollings, who is based in Australia, and Isoa Damudamu, who is in the Army, while Ollie Phillips, our captain and World Series Player of the Year, was able to get a three-year deal with Stade Francais on the back of his sevens exposure.

Uche Oduoza got a one-year deal with Suntory in Japan after they saw him score a length-of-the-field try for England against Fiji. He’s now with Newcastle and has just started a medical degree. Another lad, David Akinluyi, has given up a futures job in the City and is looking to work his way back into rugby.

My guess is that we might see more and more full-time sevens specialists, although my belief is that the 15-a-side game will not be undermined or devalued by the shorter version. That’s been the worry in cricket with Twenty20.

We’ve seen a lot of benefits in terms of player development. There was an argument against that theory, insisting that the style of rugby was too different to 15-a-side. That’s changing. It’s much more power-based, with offloads and ferocious competition at the breakdown. It’s more and more like the full game. Studies show that players cover 1km more in a sevens game than they did five years ago.

Our sevens set-up has led the way in terms of fitness levels. Christian Wade, an 18 year-old from Wasps, has clocked 4.78secs for 40 metres.

It’s an exciting time. No one quite knows how it will play out given that we’ll just be one element in any Great Britain squad. Above all though, the Olympic stamp would be the most fantastic opportunity for rugby.